Rookie
by Spryte Magnus
Summary: Sequel to 'School Girl'. The events of Final Fantasy VII through Elena's perspective.
1. Transition

_ After that I became a Turk. My parents actually spoke to me again, while grieving for my dead sister. Cari remained in a coma. I found out Reno's friend, the bald Turk, was named Rude. He became the Turk I would train under until I became an _active _agent. See, I was into Kick Boxing. So it was a good form of fighting for me to base my skills off. Rude was an expert, better then most of the Turks my sister had worked with. Heck, my sister had mentioned his name in respect pretty frequently. It was odd, working under him. Even more so since Reno was his best friend and most likely to be his partner on his missions. The good news was that Rude wasn't very social and didn't bring him up much. Nor did Reno ever bother talking to me, not that we made much contact at work. I was lucky that way, only in training rather then active duty. Reno was an active agent.  
It was a year later most everything went down. AVALANCHE rose again under the charge of Barret Wallace. He had reorganized them, hiding somewhere in the slums. What's worse, Shin-Ra wound up dealing with some pretty despicable characters. Among that list was the Don Corneo, a man I had grown up hating and looking over my shoulder for. But of course, I was the one they sent to negotiate with him.  
This is where the next Phase of my story begins._


	2. Part 1

I was less then happy with the situation. I could hear some of the men who worked under Don Corneo with some girls from the Honey Bee Club. I shifted uneasily as the Don came into his office from the back room and whistled.  
"Shin-Ra said they were sending an agent, but I didn't know it was a lady." He whistled again. I grunted, trying to appear unmoved.  
"I come for your information Don. You said you knew something about AVALANCHE..." I began. He laughed in a creepy way.  
"Of course, of course. But first, a toast..."  
I got peeved now, and flung my arm out, pushing the glass away.  
"I am here as a representative of Shin-Ra. As a Turk. As a Professional." I snarled. "So do not toy with me, Corneo. I am here for the information, not socialization." Apparently I was plenty scary, as he backed up quickly enough before handing me a disc.  
"So the stories were true. Ice Queen." He whimpered and I sighed.  
"That's right...." I hissed before walking away. I guess that was going to be my title. Ice Queen. It stuck after I was first referred to by it. My money said it would never be gone.  
Tseng was waiting outfront with a town car, and glanced up as he saw my expression.  
"So the Don up to his usual troubles?" He commented. I nodded once and offered a smile as he held the passenger door open for me. My sister had been right in her advice. He was a good man.  
My sister.  
As the car began to move, I broke down, sobbing for what had to be the millionth time since my sister died. Since Cari went into the hospital. Tseng pulled over the the car, glancing at me.  
"Elena...." He was the only one who realized how unstable I was. He placed an arm on my shoulder as I sobbed and shook.  
"...what if..." I whispered. "What if I could have done something?"  
"Elena." Tseng grabbed both my shoulders. "We are bringing AVALANCHE down with his. They can never harm anyone like they harmed Cari when we're done. You joined Shin-Ra and the Turks for that reason. You couldn't have changed the past if you tried. But the future is in our control." He explained in his oddly elegant fashion. I nodded slowly as I regained my composure. Tseng glanced at me for a moment before he began to drive again. I kept to myself once more, looking out the window. Where else could I look? I glanced at the flash drive I now held in my fist and closed my eyes. _Soon Cari. Soon I'll be sure nothing like what happened to you happens again..._


	3. Part 2

I sighed heavily as I scanned over my summary. I'd found all the important details in the data, around a hundred reports. It had taken a while, but now I stared at the results. The new leader of AVALANCHE was a man named Barret Wallace with a gun instead of one of his arms. He'd had issues with Shin-Ra since a Mako Reactor went bad in his home town-Corel. They were under Sector Seven, under a bar called the Seventh Heaven run by Tifa Lockheart. She was in full knowledge of their workings, even hiring a mercenary...  
"What. The. Hell." I stared at the report for a minute.

**Cloud Strife**  
**Mercenary/Ex First Class SOLDIER.**

How the hell did they screw that up? _Cloud was never First Class. That was Zack...how did this happen? _I thought as my blood ran cold at the rest of the known AVALANCHE members.

**Jessie**  
**Biggs**  
**Wedge**

_ How did this happen? _I placed my face in my hands, groaning. I remembered them, because I used to work with at least Jessie in the bar. They were good people-so how did they wind up in AVALANCHE, a terrorist group? I shook my head once as I emailed my summary to Tseng an stood up, stretching. It was definitely time to get some training in.  
If only I hadn't gone to the shooting range. I need to work on my aim, I knew as much. I didn't realy think about it, popping my MP3 Player in and putting on my faithful Skullcandy headphones. Nickelback began to ring through my ears, _Fight For All the Wrong Reasons _beginning as I loaded my gun. I place it down for a minute, dropping my jacket and shirt-wearing only my camisole and pants. With that I plucked up the gun once more and began to shoot. I couldn't get exactly where I was trying to shoot, not once, and didn't realize I was being watched until I felt a tap on my headphones. I paused my music and blinked, turning to face...  
"Reno." His named came out a gasp.  
The man hadn't changed much, right down to the effect he had on me. My heart sped just a little, an adrenaline charge. Reno sighed, shaking his head.  
"You can't shoot for shit. You're doing it wrong." That was the longest sentence we'd shared in over a year that didn't relate to a mission. I snapped at him in response.  
"You have a better method then aim and shoot?" I hissed for a moment. He rolled his eyes and approached me, and I backed up to the barrier. Reno faltered and rolled his eyes.  
"I'm not going to hurt you Len. Just let me guide your motions, okay?" He questioned.  
_ I work with him now. I have to adapt. I have to trust him. _I nodded once and faced the target.  
"Alright." I whispered, a jolt hitting me as his skin brushed mine. He held his arm up, holding my wrist, his chin over my shoulder.  
"Aim down your nose....keep your gun level, but not right in front of. Good way to burn yourself..." I lost myself in those words, my heart racing at our contact. I managed to hear him say 'shoot' and pulled back my finger. I'd forgotten about the recoil and cried out, falling back into Reno as my gun fell-our of rounds, thank goodness. Before I could fall he caught me with ease, laughing lightly.  
"Easy now, Elena...." He whispered as I blinked, my hands on his torso.  
"Right..."  
We'd never been that close. Not even when I'd been younger and infatuated with him. He place me on my feet gently and opened his mouth as if to speak.  
"Elena-"  
"Reno." Tseng stood in the doorway of the shooting ground and Reno quickly stood up.  
"Later Len." He waved, one hand in his pocket reaching for his smokes. Soon both men at the two sides of my hearts were out of view. Reno, the man who made my heart race, the dangerous bad boy, who I could reveal my wild side too. And Tseng, the good man, who had this noble streak.  
I flipped around with a scream, turning on Evanescence as I loaded and shot my gun in a new personal record-ten seconds. Snow White Queen was in my ears as I had the target pulled back. Bull's Eye.


	4. Part 3

I'd had another restless night before my phone rang in the morning. I yawned slightly as I plucked up my cell, ringing to Ride of the Valkyries.  
"Hello?"  
"Elena. You're on active duty." Rude's voice betrayed something he didn't mean to. Was it fear?  
"What's going on? I thought they decided the Turks had enough members..." I replied, standing up and searching for clothing.  
"...Reno is out of commission in the infirmary."  
My eyes widened as I apprehended what he said.  
"What did you say-how?"  
"He was on a mission and wound up fighting AVALANCHE..." _No no no no No! _My sister, my best friend...now...whatever Reno was to me?  
"Elena?" Rude's voice echoed for a minute before I hung up, running for the stairs. I couldn't think straight, praying I'd misunderstood as I approached the infirmary. One nurse walked past me with out stopping, and I couldn't read her face. So I didn't ask, instead running over to the Infirmary. Upon bursting inside I saw Reno attempting to light up and cried out in relief, tackling him on the gurney.  
"You're alive..." I whispered as Reno blinked for a minute.  
"Len? What..." He questioned as I released him. My eyes were watering for a moment but I wiped my face then blinked.  
"Reno!"  
"What?"  
"You were about to smoke in the infirmary!"  
"So?"  
"There are flammable materials in here!"  
"I'm not on any of them. Or near any."  
"What if a spark or ash flew?"  
"You worry to much Elena..."  
Annoyed, I punched him the side. Reno winced, laying back again.  
"Bull's eye..." He muttered as I took in what I'd walked in on him as. He was wearing his pants, but his shirt was elsewhere-he was wrapped in bandages.  
"AVALANCHE did this..." I whispered, hands on the bandages.  
"Can't say I didn't have it coming." Reno muttered, looking down at his hand and the cigarette he'd been about to light.  
"They're terrorists Reno-"  
"I wasn't just fighting them..."  
"What could you have done? You were following orders! They were the ones rebelling..." I protested.  
"Yeah, orders to blow up Sector 7, no matter how many innocents were involved!" Reno snapped at me.  
My face paled for a moment as I grasped what he said. What had happened?  
"...what?"  
"President Shin-Ra ordered it..." Reno turned away. "Apparently after the information you found...they didn't trust the people of Midgar. A miracle he didn't demand the whole place blown to smithereens."  
"...you didn't have a choice. Orders were set it..." I whispered. Reno sighed, shaking his head.  
"Len...I've been watching the President's orders become more and more corrupt. I don't think Shin-Ra is what it used to be. Elena, you-" We both flipped around as the door swung open. There stood Tseng with a baffled look on his face.  
"Am I interrupting something...?"  
It was that moment I realized I was still wearing my night gown-a light white dress with thin straps. On top of Reno, who was wearing only bandages on his upper torso, and my hands weren't far above his pants.  
"No!" I exclaimed in response to the question, leaping to my feet. I didn't look at Reno again, but I heard him scramble up and storm out-slamming the door shut behind him. I turned for a moment, confused. Was he...hurt by my instant denial?  
Tseng sighed, shaking his head.  
"Rude was looking for you. Something about shaping up before you head out." He informed before walking away. I blinked for a moment as I stared after him. He'd always been cold, but this was a new standard. Had something happened? I shook it off and went to change back into my uniform quickly. Maybe I could get out of extra sessions with Rude...or his attempts and figuring out what was going on in my head. He could barely make normal conversation. Him trying to be empathetic was down right sad. But one thought ran through my head.  
_Why did Reno react like that?_


	5. Part 4

Rude had to deal with intruders before I could get to training. I wound up in the elevator with Tseng, heading down to the lobby. Do to our awkwardness and his excessive coldness of late it was an odd elevator ride.  
"There's nothing there." I finally stated as we passed Floor 30. Tseng's reflection gave away his eye movement.  
"None of my concern beyond inter-employee relations. They get messy." He replied.  
"Oh?" I cocked my head. Tseng sighed.  
"If there is love involved, the employees lose focus on their job. If one of them gets hurt, the other employee can't operate right. Acts irrationally. Goes on a drinking binge. That sort of thing. Plays hooky. The works." Tseng replied. Again his reflection betrayed him.  
"Reno does all that already. You say that like someone experienced..." I cried out as the elevator suddenly jerked to a stop between floor 25 and 24. Tseng caught me with ease and push me back upright.  
"Easy."  
"What was that?" I questioned in confusion as I noticed the flashing red lights inside the building. Tseng glanced at his pager and faltered.  
"There's an intruder in the building."  
"Eh?" I grabbed the pager and read it quickly. "Code Silver? What does _that_ mean?"  
Tseng was silent for a moment as he examined a steadily increasing number on the pager.  
"It means we're on Lock Down. The intruder is killing people. Code Silver means...Sephiroth wasn't really dead."  
"Eh? B-but I thought a grunt took him out!" I exclaimed, wide eyed. Tseng sighed, leaning against the glass with his arms folded.  
"One of many incidents the company has covered up. Note no one knows what became of that grunt?"  
"...fair enough."  
"Another experiment. He's been a nuisance lately."  
"How so? Who was he?"  
"One of them was Cloud Strife."  
"The AVALANCHE member?" I shivered lightly at the group's name. I still had issues with them, even they 'reformed'. They'd still blown up reactors.  
Tseng nodded once and sighed.  
"Which means our mission is different. We will have to find up with Sephiroth is up to, with Cloud and the others at our heels the hole time. Especially since they're in our cells now-"  
"When did we catch them?"  
"After we caught Aerith they came looking for her...."  
"Oh. So we are kidnappers..." I looked out the glass of the elevator.  
"The less glorious truth of the Turks. You still in for the count?"  
I hesitated for a moment before responding.  
"We, the Turks, are less likely to be experimented then any other branch. Who is my squad?"  
"For now you'll be working with Rude until Reno is healed. Then-"  
"I'll be working with _Reno_?" I exclaimed.  
"I thought you said there was nothing between you."  
I spent the rest of the elevator ride-once it started again-praying Sephiroth would pop out of the building and run me through.


End file.
